Composing women

About the program 

Established to mark the centenary of the Conservatorium, Sydney Conservatorium of Music offered a program of professional development aimed at fostering and empowering women composers. The program ran from 2016-2021, with a new intake every second year.

The program's focus was on developing the compositional work and professional skills of the participants. Their compositions were workshopped and performed, with intensive group and individual sessions over two years. The compositions went on to form part or all of each participant's portfolio for her degree.

In addition to this, participants who were not already in receipt of a postgraduate scholarship received a scholarship of $10,000 a year from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

The program gave students the opportunity to work with our high-profile industry partners including Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Chamber Opera with NIDA, Sydney Dance Company, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, the Goldner String Quartet, percussionist Claire Edwardes and flute soloist Claire Chase.

Throughout the program, students received mentorship from Professor Liza Lim (2018-21) and Matthew Hindson (2016-17), in addition to members of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s composition unit. We also worked with organisations such Musica Viva Australia, APRA AMCOS, the Australian Music Centre and ABC Classic FM to provide participants with training in production and administrative skills.

This program was made possible through the generous assistance of our partners and through the Patrons of the Composing Women Program.